Pew does the 2008 election
The Pew Internet & American Life Project released a new report yesterday titled “The Internet and the 2008 Election.” While so many polls into attitudes towards elections surface an underlying cynicism towards the entire institution - this release is largely testament to the Internet’s growing influence in elections and how it is being used. Of the more interesting findings:
- 46% of US citizens have used the Internet to get info, share info with others, or get involved this election cylce.
- To put “46%” in a historical context, this number has risen around 10% every election cycle dating back to 2000.
- While SMS technologies are fueling civic engagement globally - they have yet to show real impact in US elections. Of regular text-messengers, only one in ten have used SMS to receive political information.
- Watching videos online has seen the largest bump in activity. Today 35% of US citizens have gone online to watch speeches and political videos. The Pew poll makes a favorable suggestion that the increased interest in access to unfiltered political videos is a response to the decline in the mainstream media’s coverage of political events - or as Pew puts it: a “workaround of ’sound bite’ culture.” Similarly, the diffusion of video capturing technologies (mobile cameras) has been responsible for creating several election storylines - mostly political miscues.
The Internet is an alternative to mainstream media and it is new. There is great promise, but people are still uncomfortable welcoming this new medium for such sacred information. 60% of respondents, when asked, felt the Internet is full of misinformation and propaganda. While the openness of the Internet should never insure integrity - we should all be most interested in the available tools for sharing that surface those select information sources we can trust.
